


ang liwanag sa bintana mo (paalala sa pag-ibig ko)

by wydoie (seojiya)



Series: big 4! [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: 2tae established relationship, Alternate Universe - College/University, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Slice of Life, and renmin, and then third would be kunten ata, atenean!jaehyun, big 4 au, big4, idk how to tag oh my god im so sorry, isko!doyoung, lasallian!jungwoo, no this is not poly, part of a series, the second one would be markhyuck, there's a bit noren, this is ot23 idk kung paano ko to masusulat nang maayos but yeah
Language: Filipino
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:28:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27628867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seojiya/pseuds/wydoie
Summary: in the eyes of many, doyoung kim is the perfect guy, a role model, paborito ni lord; magna cum laude standing ka ba naman, tapos ga-graduate pa on time.but just like any other human being, doyoung also has his own insecurities and flaws. may mga kahinaan din siya. matalino sa acads, yes. sa pag-ibig? not really.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Jungwoo, Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Kim Jungwoo, Lee Taeyong/Moon Taeil
Series: big 4! [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2020093
Comments: 9
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hi hello sa everyone!!!! i guess i'm finally back after a long hiatus (huwaw sino ka dyan gurl?) :D
> 
> okay so, before we start, gusto ko lang sabihin na sobrang self-indulgent ng fic na 'to. hindi ko rin alam kung saan nanggaling ang urge to write an ot23 big4 au fic SDHJKFHSD pero sana mapanindigan ko :] this was supposed to be a long-ass fic na buong ot23 na agad and na iba-iba ang center sa bawat chapter but my friend suggested na hatiin ko na lang siya into different parts kaya ayun nga ang gagawin ko.
> 
> the first part would be dowoo centric (because they are my 127 ults and my main ship!) + slight jaewoo because y not  
> the second would probably be markhyuck!  
> and the last one would be kunten na may slight johnten siguro pero di ko sure ang dami ko pang dapat iplano pero yes
> 
> anyways!!!! just a disclaimer, i'm not from any of the big 4 universities and sure ako na hindi magiging 100% accurate ang fic na 'to but i'm really trying to make it as realistic and precise as possible hehehehe if may mga flaws and loopholes man palampasin niyo na lang pls ahahhaha
> 
> okay wait malapit na talagang matapos 'tong notes!! gusto ko lang ishawrawt ang aking frenship, ysabelle, kung nababasa mo to... congrats, may mata ka!!! cheurk. thank you sa pagiging enabler and supportive sa kagagahan kong ito. salamat sa dowoo headcanons na ipinakain mo sakin ahahahaha thank you for believing in me!!!! ^-^ 
> 
> sige eto na talaga. totoo na talaga. simula na talaga. :)
> 
> happy reading????? ehehe

_monday. august three. six minutes before seven._

  
  


doyoung lets out a long, sleepy groan with matching stretch pa ng mga braso habang sinisipa ang kumot niya to the side kasi nagsisimula na siyang manlagkit sa sobrang init. _siguro pinatayan na naman siya ng electric fan ni taeyong kaninang madaling araw._

  
  


even with his eyes closed, doyoung knows that the sun is up—sinisilaw na siya ng araw (nakalimutan niya na naman kasing isara ang kurtina kagabi). alam ni doyoung na kailangan niya nang bumangon para simulan na ang araw niya, but he ends up burying his face back to his pillow, handa nang bumalik sa pagtulog.

  
  


he slept early last night naman—well, 1am is considered early for someone who usually sleeps at 4 in the morning—but for obvious reasons, sobrang exhausted pa rin ng pakiramdam ni doyoung kaya he refuses to wake up just yet, determined to get a few more minutes of sleep. _kahit five minutes lang. or maybe ten. fifteen? one hour?_

  
  


unfortunately for doyoung, his phone alarm goes off under his pillow right before he drifts back into dreamland. _great, ganda rin ng timing._ ni hindi man lang siya pinatulog ulit kahit dalawang minuto. labag man sa loob, doyoung slowly opens his eyes a little, reaching for his phone sa ilalim ng unan. _anong oras na ba?_ he asks himself. 

  
  


doyoung finally retrieves his phone from under the pillow at mabilisang pinatay ang alarm (#doyoungalarmkiller jk) para sana umidlip pa kahit saglit pero papikit pa lang ang ating bida, tumunog na naman ang phone niya… _tawag_ naman this time.

  
  


isang malakas na buntong-hininga ang pinakawalan ng binata before answering the call, not bothering to check the caller id at all.

  
  


"hello?"

  
  


"hulaan ko, hindi ka pa bumabangon no?" doyoung instantly recognizes the voice on the other end of the line—it's his _favorite_ (kahit ayaw niya pa ring aminin, and never niyang aaminin) junior, the 19-year-old _donghyuck lee_ , from the UP college of mass comm.

"kakagising ko lang." antok na sagot ni doyoung. he sits up and stretches a little before finally getting out of bed, phone still pressed against his left ear. he checks the top bunk, pero wala si taeyong doon. baka nag-aalmusal na. "anong oras na ba?"

  
  


"7:07 na. maligo ka na."

  
  


"eto na, eto na." doyoung says, struggling to keep his eyes open. kung hindi lang siya nakakapit sa upuan ngayon, baka kanina pa siya natumba. "ibababa ko na para makaligo na ako."

  
  


"okay. bilisan mo na. nako, sana hindi ka abutan ng traffic." sabi naman ni donghyuck habang humihikab itong si doyoung. "walang magbabayad ng breakfast namin kapag na-late ka."

  
  


doyoung would've rolled his eyes kung hindi lang talaga siya nakapikit dahil sa sobrang antok. "kahit naman dumating ako on time, hindi ko kayo ililibre ng breakfast. tsaka andyan naman si dejun. siya pagbayarin niyo."

  
  


"napakakuripot niyo talaga!" donghyuck teases, sighing dramatically. "char lang. sige na, kuys. ibababa ko na 'to para makaligo ka na. see you! don’t be late!”

  
  


bago pa man makapagpaalam nang matino si doyoung, ibinaba na ni hyuck ang tawag. doyoung can only shake his head. _kahit kailan talaga._

  
  


kinuha ni doyoung ang tuwalya at isinabit sa balikat niya, before walking back sa may kama para icharge ang phone niyang naghihingalo na. after that, diretso na siya sa banyo para maligo. he's going to meet his friends sa uptc today, at ang usapan ay on or before 8 am dahil may klase pa ang mga ito ng alas nueve, 7:10 na ng umaga pero papasok pa lang si doyoung sa banyo—kailangan niya na talagang magmadali.

  
  
  


_(okay._ so habang busy maligo ang ating bida, ipakilala muna natin siya.)

  
  


if there is one word to describe _doyoung kim_ , siguro the most fitting answer would be _perfect_.

  
  


_isa sa mga kilalang mukha sa up diliman for all the good reasons. isang broad comm student at kilalang-kilala sa home college niya (hello, cmc!). maganda ang boses, magaling sumayaw, magaling umarte, medyo magaling din sa arts, at parang wala ata siyang hindi kayang gawin. mapagmahal sa pamilya, pati na rin sa mga kaibigan kaya siguro siya ang paboritong kuya ng mga juniors niya (at kahit mga seniors!). he’s really active din sa mga orgs—he’s a part of the UP debate society, UP red cross youth, and UP cinema arts society (together with donghyuck and renjun)._

  
  


_he’s also a tibak, just like his parents who both finished their studies in UP as well—he’s the current head of the membership committee ng anakbayan upd. very patient, very understanding, and lives by the concept of tireless persuasion kahit minsan gusto niya nang sumabog!!! (hindi naman kasi talaga madaling mag-educate, lalo na kung sarado ang utak ng kausap mo). may malasakit sa kapwa, mabait at matulungin—laging nangunguna sa pagoorganize ng mga donation drives at fundraising activities, nasa dugo na ata talaga niya ang pagiging public servant. very responsible at may paninindigan. very humble rin._

  
  


_(teka, hindi po ito campaign ad ha! hindi po siya tatakbo sa senado sa susunod na eleksyon hehe)_

  
  


_valedictorian ng ust high school for school year 2015-2016 si doyoung. pumasa sa big 4 universities in manila. he initially wanted to go to ateneo, pero tinatawag talaga siya ng UP—pinanganak ata talaga siya para maging iskolar ng bayan. automatic oblation scholar si doyoung after being one of the top 50 successful upcat qualifiers. isang subject lang since his freshman year ang laging humihila sa grades niya, and that is PE—naglalaro lang palagi between 2.0 and 2.25. the rest of his subjects, walang problema dahil either 1.50, 1.25, o flat one ang grade niya. everyone was sure he’d graduate with flying colors._

  
  


siguro, para kay doyoung talaga ang kanta ni daniel padilla dahil _nasa kanya na ang lahat_. or maybe not. 

  
  


well, nasa kanya na _sana_ ang lahat… if only things went as planned. that’s the thing, though. life is a bitch, and things never turn out the way you want them to.

  
  


doyoung kim _was_ one step away from reaching his goal. malapit na sana siyang mag-martsa. isang kembot na lang. ilang buwan na lang na lang bago ang graduation. 'yun nga lang, kung kailan huli na, tsaka pa _sumablay_ itong si doyoung—teka, ibang sablay ‘to ah. sablay as in _palpak._

  
  


_‘yung masakit na pag-sablay._

  
  


pero sa susunod na natin alamin kung saan at paano nga ba sumablay si _doyoung ‘almost perfect’ kim_ , dahil tapos na siyang maligo (at kailangan ko nang mag narrate).

  
  
  
  


natapos maligo si doyoung by 7:17 (seven minutes ligo, wow) at mabilisan na siyang nag-bihis. diretso suot na ng kung anong damit ang nakuha niya mula sa cabinet. wala na siyang oras pumorma nang maayos.

  
  


he’s in the middle of buttoning his striped short-sleeved shirt in front of the mirror nang bumukas bigla ang pinto ng kwarto nila. taeyong enters the room, naka shirt at pajama, at may bitbit na brown paper bag— _mukhang pandesal ang almusal ngayong umaga._

  
  


teka saglit wait!

  
  


_bago tayo magpatuloy, ipakilala muna natin ang bagong dating—ang best friend slash roommate ni doyoung na si taeyong lee from the UST department of chemistry, college of science. he’s twenty-one, just the same age as doyoung (only a few months younger), a fourth year bs biochem student, and a member of UST’s salinggawi dance troupe. (abangan niyo siya next cdc!)_

  
  


_doyoung and him have been best friends for years na. both of them went to UST high school, though doyoung was taeyong’s senior kahit magka-age lang sila. hindi naman late si taeyong nag-aral, talagang advance lang itong si doyoung._

  
  


si taeyong na siguro ang pinaka-close at pinaka pinagkakatiwalaang tao ni doyoung sa buong mundo. para na silang magkapatid, and as cheesy as it sounds, doyoung can't really imagine his life without taeyong.

  
  


doyoung's parents treat taeyong like their own child, and the same goes for taeyong's mom who’s really thankful na andyan si doyoung for his son. taeyong's dad left them when he was still in grade school, and his mom is currently based in the US. matandang dalaga ang aunt ni taeyong, and he's been living with her since his first year in high school. she owns a dorm in katipunan, just beside her house, and she let taeyong move into one of the rooms nung mag third year college na ito and eventually, pinatuloy din niya si doyoung when the latter's parents sold their house and decided to move to the province because of his dad's health issues.

  
  


hindi sila pinagbabayad ng room rent ni auntie kahit na ilang beses na nila itong pinilit, kaya they would usually chip in na lang, pandagdag sa pang-grocery at pampalenke dahil ayaw naman nilang maging pabigat dito. never naman din siling itinuring na pabigat ni auntie. masaya nga siya na andyan si taeyong at doyoung na para niya na ring mga anak. the free rent is a really big help, considering doyoung's family hasn't been doing well financially after his dad got sick and was forced to close down their business. doyoung's really grateful for the old woman for giving him a temporary home (for free), and for treating him like family.

  
  


kaya eto ngayon si doyoung at taeyong, ilang taon na ang lumipas pero magkasama pa rin. habambuhay na ata silang stuck sa isa’t isa—or until taeyong and his boyfriend decide to move in together.

  
  


“oh, ba’t nakabihis ka?” tanong ni taeyong, closing the door behind him using his foot. “ano yan, papasok ka sa school?”

  
  


“i wish.” doyoung laughs, bago tinignan ang sarili sa salamin. inayos niya nang kaunti ang buhok bago kinuha ang pabango niya from penshoppe (not sponsored!) at inispray sa damit na suot. "i'm meeting up with the kids sa uptc. tapos diretso na rin ako sa school. makikigulo lang sa org friends and tambay lang around the campus siguro. baka umuwi rin ako ng lunch.”

  
  


“let me know kung gusto mong gumala mamaya.” sabi ni taeyong habang nagtitimpla ng kape. “wala pa naman akong pasok.”

  
  


“thanks sa offer. pero alam kong pupunta ka sa UPM mamaya para sunduin si _taeil_. next time na ako eeksena sa inyong dalawa. i’m sure you miss each other.” doyoung smiles, grabbing his bag from his bed before heading towards the door.

  
  


“fine. ingat. if you change your mind, just let me know. pwede ka namang mag-thirdwheel, tanggap ka namin.” sabi ni taeyong, shoving a piece of pandesal inside his mouth. tumawa naman si doyoung, muttering a _no thanks_ , _sawa na ako sa inyo_ bago nagpaalam at tuluyan nang umalis.

  
  


isang buntong-hininga ang pinakawalan ni taeyong nang makaalis na ang kaibigan. kilalang-kilala niya na si doyoung, at kahit hindi nito aminin, taeyong knows na hindi _pa_ rin okay ang binata after what happened.

  
  


_he could’ve graduated last june_. siguro naghahanap na sana siya ng work by now instead of having breakfast with his juniors in uptc kung hindi lang nagkanda-leche ang lahat.

  
  


pero shit happens, and _doyoung just wasn’t able to handle it well._

  
  
  


* * *

  
  


nang makarating si doyoung sa mcdo uptc, it was three minutes after eight already. his friends were easy to spot, all thanks to renjun huang’s baby pink hair na agaw pansin.

  
  


“sabi sainyo, mauuna si kuya eh.” sabi ni jeno nang makalapit si doyoung sa table nila. naupo ito sa bakanteng upuan sa tabi ni dejun.

  
  


“tapos sabi ni hyuck twenty minutes ago, otw na raw siya.” dejun says before turning to doyoung para mag fist bump. “gago, namiss kita!”

  
  


“ _on the way on the way_ pa si loko, on the water kamo!” renjun fights the urge to roll his eyes, habang maririnig naman sa background si doyoung na nakikipagusap kay dejun. _‘kakakita lang natin two weeks ago!_ _’_

  
  


ito ang mga kaibigan ni doyoung.

  
  


si _renjun huang_ , isang second year film student na naging close ni doyoung through their org—UP CAST. member din ito ng LFS. si renjun ang laging kasama ni doyoung tumambay kapag walang klase, o kaya tuwing weekend at hindi sila busy pareho. siguro sunod kay hyuck, si renjun ang pinaka-close ni doyoung.

there’s also _jeno lee_ , second year interior design, also a member of LFS. naging close sila ni doyoung through renjun. best friends kasi ang dalawa, halos hindi mo mapaghihiwalay. meron pa silang isang best friend na nasa ateneo, si _jaemin na,_ na nakasama na rin ni doyoung a few times.

and then, there’s _dejun xiao_ , third year civil engineering student _major in orgs—_ UP association of civil engineering students, UP engineering radio guild, UP engineering choir, at anakbayan na naging dahilan para mag-krus ang landas nila ni doyoung. pareho nilang hilig ang kanta (kaya madalas ay nagvi-videoke ang dalawa sa timezone) pero ang pinaka-bonding talaga nila ay ang paggawa ng placards para sa mga protests at walk-outs, at pambabara ng DDS trolls sa twitter.

  
  


syempre hindi papahuli si donghyuck na kakarating lang, naka jeans, hoodie, at mask, may bitbit na backpack.

  
  


“wow, mukhang kpop!” bati ni jeno sa binata na diretso ang upo sa last vacant seat sa table nila.

  
  


“tanga, mukha ba akong genre?!” giit ni hyuck bago ibinaba ang mask niya at inalis ang hood mula sa ulo, revealing his messy ash blonde hair. “pucha, ang traffic.”

  
  


(napakailala naman na natin so donghyuck kanina, pero ipakilala ulit natin siya ngayon. special, eh. mamon ka, ghurl?)

  
  


ang huling myembro ng doyoung’s angels (huwaw!) ay si _donghyuck lee_ from the UP college of mass comm. he is 19 (as previously mentioned), a second year broadcast communication student just like his kuya doie, and also a tibak and a member of UP CAST. very much single. walang balak magjowa. ayaw ng distraction eh. _#studyfirst_

  
  


nag-asaran at kumustahan ang magkakaibigan but eventually, narealize nilang tumatakbo ang oras at kailangan na nilang umorder. si dejun na raw ang oorder para sa lahat pero syempre, hindi raw siya ang magbabayad (inunahan niya na si hyuck na hihirit pa lang sana ng _libre!_ ). nag-volunteer na rin si jeno na sasama kay dejun, kaya ang naiwan na lang sa table ay sina doyoung, renjun, at donghyuck.

  
  


“anong nangyari sa mukha mo?” tanong ni renjun kay donghyuck, kaya napatingin naman si doyoung sa binata.

  
  


“may problema ka ba sa mukha ko, renjun huang? suntukan na lang, ano!” pabirong umamba ng suntok si hyuck, at pabirong pinigilan naman ito ni doyoung na aliw na aliw na naman sa mga kaibigan. _lagi talagang ganito ang eksena kapag magkakasama sila._

  
  


“mukha kang zombie!” renjun says. “natulog ka ba?”

  
  


binitawan na ni doyoung si hyuck at sinilip ang mukha nito. normal naman, si donghyuck pa rin siya, except for the fact na medyo maputla siya ngayon at ang lala rin ng eyebags _(gwapo pa rin tho huhu)._ umayos na ng upo si hyuck at ngumuso nang bahagya. umiling ito, sabay pasada ng kamay sa buhok.

“barely. may inattendan kaming party ni _yangie_ kagabi. alas kwatro na ata kami nakauwi.”

  
  


napataas naman ang kilay ni doyoung sa sagot ng binata. “nahila ka ni yangyang sa party? totoo pala talagang may himala.”

  
  


“inuto ako ni gago. gig daw pupuntahan namin, pucha pag-dating sa venue… wow. gusto ko siyang hambalusin.” parang gusto nang manuntok ni hyuck, nakapikit at nakayukom ang dalawang kamay.

  
  


natawa naman si renjun at doyoung. alam naman kasi ng lahat na hindi mahilig pumarty ‘tong si hyuck, at alam din ng lahat na laging laman ng mga bars all over qc, manila, and bgc ang best friend nitong si _yangyang liu_ from ust. hindi nagpapademonyo si hyuck kay yangyang, kahit ilang beses pa nitong kulitin ang binata. pero ayan. panguuto lang pala ang katapat ni donghyuck. naka one point na tuloy si yangyang.

  
  


tuloy lang ang usapan ng tatlo, at maya-maya ay nakabalik na rin sina dejun at jeno bitbit ang almusal nila. they started eating right away, medyo nagmamadali na after realizing na it’s almost 8:30 already. may mga klase pa sila.

  
  
  


they were able to ride a jeep papasok ng campus exactly 16 minutes before 9 in the morning. as expected, sobrang traffic dahil first day of classes ngayon at lunes pa _._ talaga namang nasakto pana lunes ang first day this year—after the two consecutive years na friday ang unang araw ng pasukan sa UP—kaya hindi lang traffic ang kalaban. sigurado si doyoung na present majority ng mga profs.

  
  


napapadasal na lang tuloy sina renjun at hyuck na sana, makarating sila sa klase nila on time (o kahit bago lang matapos ang fifteen minutes na grace period). medyo kinabahan pa nga si donghyuck habang nasa jeep dahil akala niya, naiwan niya sa bahay ang mga 1x1 at 2x2 picutres niya—naipit lang pala binder.

  
  


buti pa si dejun at jeno na medyo chill pa since parehong 10am pa ang start ng klase, hindi alintana ang traffic. the same goes for doyoung na wala namang hinahabol na klase pero—

  
  


“long time no see, bro!”

  
  


_—_ pero mamaya na lang natin alamin dahil mukhang magiging busy na ang ating bida sa pakikipagkwentuhan sa isa sa kaniyang mga favorite seniors: ang crush ng bayan na si _sehun oh_ from the college of architecture, na nakaupo sa kabilang side ng jeep na sinasakyan nila.

  
  


“kamusta bakasyon?” tanong ni doyoung. sehun spent his summer vacation in the US kaya hindi nila ito masyadong nakasama nitong mga nakaraang buwan.

  
  


nagsimulang magkwentuhan ang dalawa, tamang catch-up lang since it’s been a while since the last time they saw each other. 

  
  


“wait, naka-leave ka diba? why are you here then? or… maling info na naman ang nasagap ko.” tanong ni sehun pagkatapos ng usapan nila ni doyoung about sa hindi natuloy na la union trip nung summer.

  
  


_of course,_ doyoung thinks to himself. expected niya nang may magtatanong sa kaniya about this kaya hindi na rin siya nagulat.

  
  


“yep. nagfile ako ng leave of absence.” tango ng binata. “uh, wala naman. palipas oras lang. siguro makikigulo sa tambayan mamaya.”

  
  


“how long? one sem?”

  
  


“yep, though i’m not sure yet kung babalik na ako next sem. feeling ko nga nagsasayang ako ng oras pero… hindi ko pa ata talaga kaya ituloy ngayon.” honest na sagot ni doyoung, halata sa boses ang lungkot.

  
  


sehun gives him an encouraging smile, reaching forward to give doyoung’s shoulder a light pat.

  
  


“ayos lang ‘yan, hindi ‘yan sayang. mas mahirap kapag pinilit mo kahit alam mong hindi mo kakayanin. pahinga ka muna. ‘wag ka mapressure masyado. just take your time.”

  
  


tumango naman si doyoung, thankful for his senior’s kind words. hindi niya pa rin maiwasang mag doubt kung tama ba ang naging desisyon niya, though. hindi niya pa rin maiwasang madisappoint sa sarili for… _fucking things up._

  
  


pero hindi ito ang tamang panahon para magdrama dahil kailangan na nilang bumaba sa sinasakyang jeep.

  
  


nagpaalam na sina doyoung, dejun, at jeno sa mga kaibigan (at si doyoung kay sehun) at nauna nang bumaba sa may yakal. habang naglalakad papunta sa melchor hall kung saan ang home college ng mga pogi (kasama si future engineer dejun xiao doon syempre), may nakasalubong na naman na kakilala si doyoung— _t_ _aeyeon_ , if jeno heard it correctly. 

  
  


_‘mr. congeniality talaga’_ , dejun tells jeno habang busy makipag-usap ang ating bida. wala namang problema sa kanila dahil hindi naman sila nagmamadali, mahaba-haba pa ang oras bago ang unang klase nung dalawa for today. sanay na rin naman silang may stop-over sa tuwing kasama nila si doyoung (char! not char). jeno laughs, sabay gatong pa ng _‘pwede na ‘tong tumakbo ng senador, eh.’_

  
  


paano ba naman kasi, parang halos lahat ng colleges sa UP, may kakilala itong si doyoung. laging may nakakasulubong, nakakasabay kumain sa may area 2, o kaya nakakasabay sa jeep tapos makikipagkwentuhan—hindi nawawalan ng stop-over. tulad nga ng sabi ni jeno lee, pwede na talagang tumakbong senador. char.

  
  


after ng saglit na pakikipag kamustahan ni doyoung, nagpaalam na si doyoung kay taeyeon, at tuloy na ulit sa paglalakad ang tatlo.

  
  


“ang cute nung kausap mo kanina. bagay kayo.” biglaang sabi ni jeno kaya napatingin naman si doyoung dito.

  
  


“pinagsasabi mo dyan.” natatawang sabi ng binata with matching iling pa.

  
  


“i was just saying!” jeno laughs, sumisingkit na naman ang mga mata. “siguro kung hindi kita kilala tapos nakita ko kayong magkasama, iisipin kong mag-jowa kayo.”

  
  


umagree naman si dejun at babatukan na sana ito ni doyoung—though hindi niya na magagawa dahil nakarating na sila sa tapat ng melchor hall at didiretso na raw sa loob si dejun. baka raw kasi may makauna sa desired seat niya (yung pinakagitnang upuan sa harapan ang gusto ni gago). napaka-competitive talaga. 

  
  


nagpaalam na si dejun at pumasok na sa loob, and that leaves us with doyoung and jeno na ngayon ay nagpatuloy na sa paglalakad. wala silang kapaguran, eh. _alexa, play mag-exercise tayo! chos._

  
  


“kuya, may sasabihin pala ako.” biglaang sabi ni jeno. “kaya lang… hindi ako sure if gusto mong marinig.”

  
  


napakunot naman ang noo ni doyoung dahil sa sinabi ng kaibigan. kinabahan tuloy siya, pero at the same time, alam niyang hindi na naman matatahimik ang utak niya sa kakaisip kung hindi niya malalaman ang sasabihin ni jeno.

  
  


“sige lang.” he tells jeno habang hinahanda na rin ang sarili sa kung ano mang sasabihin nito. “ano ‘yun?”

  
  


"sure ka?"

  
  


"oo nga, dali. okay lang."

  
  


“nakasabay ko kasi sa lrt si…” jeno hesitates for a second. “si ate sejeong. nung sabado.”

  
  


dahil nga maaga pa at marami pa silang oras, mabagal lang ang lakad nina doyoung at jeno sa _beta way_ , the walkway connecting melchor hall and palma hall. _shortcut._

  
  


napaisip tuloy bigla si doyoung… _buti pa rito, may shortcut. sana sa paglimot, meron din._

  
  


pero mukhang malabo ang mabilisang pagmu-move on para kay doyoung. siguro kahit may shortcut sa paglimot, hindi niya pa rin gagamitin. mabanggit nga lang ang pangalan ni sejeong, parang nanghihina na siya. parang gusto niyang ilaban ulit kahit wala na talaga. _katulad na lang ngayon._

  
  


“ah, talaga?” he says, silently praying na sana hindi napansin ni jeno ang panginginig ng boses niya. “anong sabi? kamusta raw siya?”

  
  


“okay naman siya. same old. sobrang busy lang ata since malapit na finals nila.” sagot naman ni jeno, sabay silip ng slight kay doyoung, trying to gauge his expression. “kinamusta ka niya. nabalitaan niya raw na hindi ka papasok this school year.”

  
  


doyoung nods, hindi sigurado kung anong isasagot o kung paano magrereact sa sinabi ni jeno. "well, i'm glad she's okay."

  
  


mukhang hindi pa ata talaga ready si doyoung na pag-usapan ang _ex_ niya, kaya jeno changes the topic after that, telling his kuya doyoung na lang about how excited and nervous he is for this school year. doyoung manages to push the thoughts about sejeong away, distracting himself by giving jeno words of encouragement.

  
  


jeno had to leave doyoung on his own already since it's almost 9:30, at may ilang minuto na lang siya para pumunta sa klase niya. they both go their own ways—si jeno sa likod ng palma hall para mag-abang ng _toki_ jeep to CHE at si doyoung naman, lakad ulit. diretso na sana siya sa main lib kung saan niya talaga planong mag-stay at magpalipas ng oras, pero napagdesisyunan nitong sa _sunken_ na muna tumambay.

  
  
  


doyoung settles down on one of the benches sa famous sunken garden, nakatanaw lang sa kawalan. he runs a hand through his hair bago nagpakawala ng isang malalim na buntong-hininga.

  
  


four years ago, he was sitting at this exact same bench on his first day in UP after his Eng10 class. he was just seventeen then, punong-puno ng pangarap, desididong makapagtapos with flying honors—and he almost did. _almost._

  
  


in the eyes of many, doyoung kim is the _perfect_ guy, a role model, _paborito ni lord_ ; _magna cum laude standing ba naman,_ tapos ga-graduate pa on time.

  
  


but just like any other human being, doyoung also has his own insecurities and flaws. may mga kahinaan din siya. matalino sa acads, yes. sa pag-ibig? not really.

  
  


hindi alam ni doyoung kung paano niya ihahandle ang break-up nila ni sejeong. maayos naman ang naging hiwalayan nilang dalawa, walang third party or anything, pero hindi niya lang talaga matanggap. during that time, pakiramdam ni doyoung, hindi niya na kaya. _ayaw niya nang pumasok,_ sa totoo lang. parang hindi niya kayang mag-function. he was crying everyday, was skipping meals, was skipping classes. he barely survived the last three weeks of the first semester, wouldn’t have survived if not for his friends who literally dragged him palabas sa room nila ni taeyong para lang makapag-take siya ng final exams.

  
  


doyoung is smart, he really is. mahal niya rin ang pag-aaral. he wanted to graduate with honors so bad. wanted his parents to be proud of him.

  
  


_but the moment he got his heart broken, he ended up self-destructing._

  
  


nag-enroll pa rin naman siya sa sumunod na sem kahit pinanghihinaan na ng loob, did _okay_ in his subjects (but the changes in his academic performance were very evident), nag LOA sa orgs, and decided to just drop his thesis subject dahil alam niyang hindi niya kakayanin. officially on-leave rin si doyoung for the whole semester ngayong school year, pero baka may chance na mag-extend siya at next school year na talaga bumalik. hindi pa rin siya sigurado if kaya niya nang mag thesis next sem.

  
  


his parents were supportive and understanding of his decisions, pero doyoung knows na they’re disappointed kahit na hindi nila sabihin. sino ba namang hindi madidisappoint? kahit siya mismo, disappointed sa sarili niya.

  
  


kapalit ng pagpapahinga dahil sa sugatan niyang puso ay ang _magna standing_ na matagal niya nang pangarap. sayang _. sobrang sayang._

  
  
  


doyoung lets out another sigh. mag aalas-diez pa lang ng umaga pero hindi niya na mabilang kung ilang buntong-hininga na ang pinakawalan niya. _gusto tuloy sampalin ni doyoung ang sarili niya._ hindi dapat siya nagmumukmok nang ganito. he knows he can’t just sit around and sulk all day. he has to do something, anything, distract himself kung kinakailangan.

  
  


tumayo ang binata from the bench, pinagpag ang backpack niya bago isinabit sa balikat. hindi magandang naiiwan siyang mag-isa with his thoughts, kaya sa library na lang talaga siya tatambay para makapagbasa-basa. nagsimula siyang maglakad, kasabay ng mga estudyanteng papasok sa kani-kanilang mga klase.

  
  


doyoung takes his phone out from his pocket pati na rin ang earphones niya. dapat may background music, para feel niya ang pagsesenti, chz. hindi niya pa man naipapasok ang earbuds sa tenga niya though, someone tapped his shoulder, kaya napahinto siya sa paglalakad at napalingon.

  
  


upon turning around, he sees a tall, blonde _(and pretty)_ guy in a striped tee na naka tuck-in sa jeans niya. may hawak itong isang pack ng index cards, different sizes, so naisip ni doyoung na baka estudyante rin sa UP. may bitbit din itong papel na mukhang form 5. 

  
  


said guy gives him a small shy smile bago nagsalita.

  
  


“ah, kuya i’m really sorry to bother you but… do you know where the main library is? i just need to give this to my dumbass pinsan.”

  
  


doyoung fights the urge to laugh. poor _dumbass pinsan_ who probably forgot to bring his index cards and the freaking _form 5._ kung sino man siya, swerte niya na lang at may pinsan siyang sumagsag pa sa UP para lang dalhin lang index cards at form 5 niya.

  
  


“it’s okay.” doyoung says sabay ngiti pabalik. “i’m headed there now, actually. pwede ka na sumabay sakin if you want?”

  
  


“oh my god, thank you kuya! you’re a lifesaver.” blonde guy says dramatically. “bakit ba kasi ang laki-laki ng campus niyo?!”

  
  


_this time, hindi na napigilan ni doyoung ang tawa niya._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> if jungwoo's being honest, the guy's exactly his type. and yes… he certainly developed a small crush on that guy—even if he's a complete stranger. jungwoo thinks it's completely harmless naman, so he allows himself yo daydream about the UP guy. he'd probably forget about him tomorrow or the day after that. plus, it's not like they would ever see each other again, anyway.
> 
> at least that's what jungwoo thinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> unbeta'd!!!! sorry for the typo and grammatical errors hehe
> 
> also!!! disclaimer lang ulit na i'm not from any of the big 4 universities, so the ganaps are probably not 100% accurate but i'm trying <3
> 
> have fun reading !! ^-^

"eto na nga, i'm almost there! 'wag mo na akong awayin."

  
  


_the tall, blonde guy in a striped tee and jeans picks up his pace._ kung pwede lang tumakbo, kanina niya pa ginawa—actually, pwede naman. wala namang pumipigil. he just doesn't want to dahil ayaw niyang pagpawisan. iwas haggard dahil may klase pa siya mamaya. medyo natetempt na siyang tumakbo talaga though, especially with the way his friend is nagging on the other end of the line already.

  
  


“ _jungwoo_ , kapag wala ka pa rito in two minutes, aalis na ako.” kun firmly says. he’s been waiting for jungwoo sa henry sy grounds for almost thirty minutes already, at nagsisimula na siyang mainip at magutom.

  
  


the younger lets out a whine. kilalang-kilala na ni jungwoo ang kaibigan niya. mabait si kun, sobra. he rarely ever gets mad or annoyed, pero there are exceptions. mabilis uminit ang ulo nito kapag gutom—and he is right now. kaya alam ni jungwoo na pag sinabi ni kun na aalis na siya, aalis na talaga siya.

  
  


“chenle and jisung are here already. i guess we’ll see you na lang sa—“

  
  


“i’m almost there, i swear! one minute.” he cries out. at this point, talagang iiwan na siya ni kun.

  
  


mukhang kailangan na talagang tumakbo ni jungwoo for real. _bahala na nga._

  
  
  
  


medyo pinagpapawisan si jungwoo nang makarating sa grounds dahil sa pagtakbo, hinihingal pa nang kaunti, pero he still looks dashing as ever. in chenle zhong's honest opinion, slightly sweaty jungwoo looks even _hotter_ than he usually he does, kaya hindi niya rin siya nagtataka kung bakit ang daming mga estudyanteng napapahinto para tumitig sa binata.

  
  


“finally!” kun sighs dramatically. “akala ko hindi ka na dadating."

  
  


jungwoo rolls his eyes habang nagpupunas ng pawis sa noo at leeg using his armando caruso hanky. _napakainit talaga._ "oa ka sa hindi dadating. ang traffic kasi, okay? and manong dropped me off at south gate pa. imagine, i had to walk pa from—"

  
  


the boy gets cut off mid-sentence nang may bigla na lang tumawag sa pangalan niya. jungwoo and his friends turn to look at the direction where the voice came from, and they see a petite girl in a yellow summer dress, hugging her macbook against her chest.

  
  


kun fights the urge to roll his eyes, and chenle and jisung share a knowing look.

  
  


girl in the summer dress starts walking palapit kay jungwoo, and the latter flashes her that boyish grin of his that makes everybody swoon over him.

  
  


“hey.” jungwoo greets her.

  
  


“uhm, hi.” ate girl smiles shyly. “i was looking for you kanina, you didn’t attend miss d’s class?”

  
  


“no, eh. had to go to UP.” jungwoo tells her. “anyways, why were you looking for me?”

  
  


“oh, maybe you really did forgot…” girlie says, a bit disappointed. medyo kinabahan naman si jungwoo kasi _what the fuck,_ may pinangakuan _na naman_ ba siya ng coffee or lunch last week? wala siyang maalala! “i thought we were going to grab coffee after miss d’s class. i’ve been texting you since last night pero you were not replying naman.”

  
  


_fuck._ parang gusto na lang ni jungwoo na magpalamon sa lupa. wala siyang maalala na sinabihan niya si s… _stacey?_ na mag c-coffee sila today. hindi rin siya nakapagreply sa texts ng kahit na sino kagabi kasi birthday ni mark kahapon, and may birthday bash ito sa _xylo_. they were all busy partying (and jungwoo was busy flirting around, kasi why not? he’s very much single anyways).

  
  


jungwoo starts to explain, telling her about the party last night na dahilan kung bakit hindi siya nakasagot sa texts nito, pero hindi niya na minention sa dalaga na wala talaga siyang maalalang nagsabi siya na magc-coffee sila today after their morning class. nag-sorry na lang ang binata, telling her din na he had to go to UP first thing in the morning para lang bitbitin ang _form5 at index cards_ ng pinsan niyang si _sungchan_ na dinaig pa ang lolo nila sa pagiging makakalimutin.

  
  


pero nasa lahi ata talaga nila ang pagiging makakalimutin kasi nakalimutan na rin ni jungwoo na he’s with his friends and they’re supposed to go out para kumain. he only realizes na nasa likod pa rin niya ang tatlo when kun spoke.

  
  


“sunod ka na lang if you’re done na. zark’s.” sabi nito bago dire-diretsong naglakad, not giving jungwoo a chance to speak (more like… complain). chenle and jisung follow—the former giving jungwoo’s shoulder a pat muna sabay bulong ng _good luck, dude_ bago tuluyang umalis.

  
  


jungwoo sighs. sayang naman ‘yung itinakbo niya kanina. in the end, iniwan pa rin siya ng mga kaibigan. also, sana sinabi na lang ni kun nang mas maaga na sa zark’s niya pala gusto kumain, edi sana hindi na pumasok ng campus si jungwoo at naghintay na lang sana sa labas. maiiwasan niya pa sana itong si st—

  
  


“so… are you still g? for coffee?”

  
  


kanina pa gustong sumimangot ni jungwoo, but he still forces out a smile. he doesn’t want to be rude. napaka-persistent naman kasi nitong si stacey.

  
  


“look, stacey—”

  
  


“it’s tracy _,_ not stacey.” may habit din talaga itong si girl mang interrupt, ano? also, _fucking hell!_ hindi stacey ang pangalan niya. parang gusto na lang maging dahon ni jungwoo. 

  
  


“ _tracy._ ” jungwoo quickly corrects himself, clearing his throat before flashing her his sweetest smile. _sana makalusot_. “i knew that, of course.”

  
  


“as if.” tracy mutters, pero hindi ito sumimangot o umirap. instead, her lips turn into a pout and he looks up at jungwoo with hopeful eyes. “but… ano? coffee? or lunch tayo?”

  
  


“as much as i want to, i can’t. i’m really sorry, tracy. i’m eating lunch with my friends today, you heard kun naman kanina..”

  
  


“oh, right." tracy sighs. akala ni jungwoo, 'yun na 'yun, but boy was he wrong. medyo mapilit talaga itong si tracy. "what about tomorrow?“

  
  


"hindi ako sure, eh. sabihan na lang kita kung kailan ako free." mabilis na sabi ni jungwoo. he runs a hand through his hair, giving tracy an apologetic smile right after. “anyway, i really have to go before kun gets mad. i guess i’ll just… see you around?”

  
  


hindi na hinintay ni jungwoo ang sagot ng dalaga. he slowly walked backwards, waving goodbye, before completely turning around to jog papunta sa gate para makasunod na sa zark's.

  
  


( _hep hep!_ bago natin ituloy ang kwento, syempre ipapakilala ko muna sa inyo ang isa pa nating bida.)

  
  


_currently walking papunta sa north gate is jungwoo kim from the gokongwei college of engineering. he's twenty, son of a wealthy businessman and a respected architect, a third year mechanical engineering student, and one of dlsu’s campus crushes (a notorious heartbreaker, too)._

  
  


sino ba namang hindi magkakagusto kay jungwoo? _the guy’s an overall stunner._ for starters, he’s handsome as fuck, and he _knows_ it. he has really soft features and a pretty face na unang napapansin ng mga tao, his body proportions are impressive and envied by many, and he could even pass as a volleyball or basketball player with that height of his.

  
  


many people like him for his looks, but jungwoo isn't just a pretty boy; _he's so much more than that_. he's a man of many talents— _jack of all trades._ as his mom would always say to her amigas tuwing napag-uusapan ang bianta. jungwoo excels in a lot of field, most especially music. he has always been musically inclined. he started playing the violin at the young age of six, and the piano when he was seven. he also sings really well, and was a member of kundirana (la salle green hills' music ministry) back in high school.

  
  


pero syempre, hindi lang 'yan ang kayang gawin ni jungwoo. he's also a great dancer, he can draw and paint well, at magaling din umarte (napractice sa mga skits noong high school, eh).

  
  


marami ngang nagtataka kung bakit hindi pumasok sa magulong mundo ng showbiz itong si jungwoo. siguradong kayang-kaya niyang tapatan si daniel padilla o di kaya si enrique gil kung sakali. he's an all around entertainer, tapos napakagwapo pa. he'd surely rise to stardom and stay there for long time. ilang beses na rin itong naisip ni jungwoo back when he was younger, but he realized na that's not the kind of life that he wants, and definitely not the kind of life his parents want for him as well.

  
  


jungwoo grew up performing in recitals and doing a shit ton of extra-curricular activities sa school, pero never nitong napabayaan ang pag-aaral. consistent honor student si jungwoo simula grade school and he graduated as batch salutatorian noong high school. he initially wanted to go to UP or ateneo for college (ateneo, dahil 'yun ang usapan nila ng best friend niyang si lucas). aside from DCAT, nag-take rin ito ng UPCAT—without telling his parents, of course, kasi they're against it (baka raw kasi maging aktibista si jungwoo. wala raw siyang mapapala sa UP)—and ACET, too.

  
  


pumasa si jungwoo sa tatlong schools, but in the end, sa la salle pa rin ang bagsak niya which was expected na rin naman. 'yun kasi ang gusto ng parents niya. he's lucky na lang din na hindi na sila nakialam sa kung anong program ang gustong i-take ng binata. well, probably because they knew that jungwoo would choose mechanical engineering. wala naman na silang irereklamo doon.

  
  


when jungwoo was still a frosh, he was extremely rebellious—not that he isn't anymore, _he still is,_ pero for different reasons (and iba na rin ang way niya now that he's older). he used to skip classes, laging nakatambay sa mall kahit may pasok, tried drinking and smoking, and refused to have any friends—decent ones, at least. he intentionally did things that he knew would piss his parents off, because he was mad at them for not letting him decide kung saang university niya gustong mag-aral. it went on for a whole term, and his parents were very disappointed when they found out about the stuff he did. they were angry. jungwoo didn't budge, though. second term of his freshman year, handa na siyang magpasaway lalo…

  
  


...but then he met kun. he was jungwoo's first decent friend in la salle. the first _real_ friend he ever made since the first day of college. and then the following year, he met chenle and his best friend jisung.

  
  


kung hindi sa dlsu nag-aral si jungwoo, hindi niya makikilala ang tatlo. hindi niya magiging kaibigan. at syempre, if he ended up in a different university, he certainly wouldn't be sitting on one of the tables inside zark's—munching on his onion hoops while watching his friends gobble down their burgers.

  
  
  


"'yan lang talaga kakainin mo?" kun asks, watching jungwoo pop another ring in his mouth. malamig na ang ulo nito as expected. nakakain na eh.

  
  


jungwoo hums in response, munching down his food and gulping it down bago nagsalita. "i'm not really hungry. lost my appetite after what happened kanina. god, parang i wanted to just disappear na lang kanina when you guys left."

  
  


kun and jisung snort, and chenle just rolls his eyes. "you did that to yourself, jungwoo."

  
  


"the audacity to call me just jungwoo, chenle zhong." jungwoo feigns offence. "nasan ang manners mo?"

  
  


"should i call you _kuya_ then?" chenle laughs, taking a big gulp from his drink before continuing. "kuya jungwoo."

  
  


"god, stop. hindi bagay."

  
  


nagtawanan ang apat na magkakaibigan at aliw na aliw na naman sina jisung at kun dahil sa asaran ng dalawa. ganito naman sila lagi. puno ng asaran at tawanan tuwing magkakasama.

  
  


the four of them are not from the same college, hindi magkaka-edad, at galing din sa iba't ibang klaseng pamilya, but for some reason, they fit together like puzzle pieces.

  
  


kun is a third year ab literature student. he's the eldest of the four at twenty-one, just a year older than jungwoo. he came from a pretty well-off family—his parents are both lawyers. he's planning to go to law school too, pero saka niya na 'yun iisipin.

  
  


there's the nineteen-year-old chenle, too—a second year international studies student, majoring in chinese studies. his father is a wealthy chinese businessman (much wealthier than jungwoo's dad) who's been living in the philippines for years. chenle lives a pretty decent and comfortable (read: luxurious) life, but he's not one to brag about stuff like that.

  
  


and finally, ang kanilang bunso, the eighteen-year-old jisung park. chenle and him have been best friends since high school, at hanggang college ay magkasama pa rin ang dalawa. jisung is a second year bs/ms computer science student—yes, he's enrolled in an honors program—and a scholar. he is born to a middle-class family, but managed to get into big and expensive schools both in high school and college dahil sa talino nito.

  
  


jungwoo adores them all, and treasures them na para bang mga tunay niyang kapatid, as cheesy as it sounds.

  
  
  


"are you sure you really don't want anything? baka magutom ka n'yan mamaya." tinignan ni kun si jungwoo na ngayon ay tapos nang kumain. "i'll go buy you food tapos dalhin mo na lang sa class mo."

  
  


"no, it's really okay." jungwoo assures the older. "i can just drop by sa bloemen before i go to class. maaga pa naman."

  
  


"why don't you just buy here?" chenle asks.

  
  


"ayoko ng zark's." jungwoo simply states.

  
  


"since when?" sabay na tanong ni jisung at kun, making jungwoo scratch his cheek.

  
  


"do you guys really wanna know? it's a bit petty but…"

  
  


"go on." chenle says. "we won't judge naman."

  
  


"but if you're not comfortable, it's fine." dagdag ni kun.

  
  


"well, kasi." jungwoo starts, running a hand through his hair before continuing. "it reminds me of that one time during the second term, kun and i went here after class and i witnessed a break-up while he was ordering and it was so… _sad_."

  
  


okay. that was not the answer that the three were expecting. they were thinking na baka sanitary issues ang dahilan kung bakit ayaw na ng binata kumain sa zark's. but wow. _break-up_ pala.

  
  


"the girl stood up from her seat and just left, tapos 'yung guy na naiwan just sat there and stared at his _fucking_ burger na mukhang hindi niya man lang nabawasan. and then, he just… left after a few minutes. since then, i avoided going to zark's because i end up thinking about that day and i get sad." _and nakakasawa naman na talaga_ , jungwoo wants to add.

  
  


chenle wants to laugh because of jungwoo's cuteness, pero pinigilan niya ang sarili because he's afraid the older might take it the wrong way. medyo sensitive kasi ito minsan, especially when he feels like other people are making fun of him for showing his soft side. hindi makakalimutan ni chenle 'yung one time na hindi sila pinansin ni jungwoo for a whole week, because they teased him for crying after finding out na _archer the cat_ already passed away. (jungwoo just really adored the cat. he even attended the feline's graduation).

  
  


"kaya pala hindi ka sumasama kapag dito kami kumakain." jisung says, finally connecting the dots.

  
  


"you should've told me then na ayaw mo pala dito." kun pouts a little. "sa agno na lang sana tayo kumain."

  
  


jungwoo rolls his eyes bago tumawa nang bahagya. "as if you gave me a chance to protest kanina, _sungit._ "

  
  


"touche."

  
  


jungwoo finds himself in bloemen twenty minutes before class, enjoying his second turon for the day while kun is on the other side of the green table, scrolling through his phone. dalawa na lang sila since nauna nang umalis sina jisung at chenle dahil pareho pa silang may tatapusin for their respective classes.

  
  


jungwoo's phone vibrates in his pocket minutes later, kaya he stops eating muna, pulling out his phone from his jean pocket to check. he unlocks it and immediately sees his cousin's contact name on the screen, along with a bunch of random notifications from twitter and instagram that he chooses to ignore.

**sungchan:** thanks for bringing my form 5 <3

 **sungchan:** UP is so big

 **jungwoo:** ure welcome im expecting libre this friday :p

 **jungwoo:** don't get lost dumbass

 **sungchan:** :D ok salamat sa lahat jk

 **sungchan:** anyway i have a question

 **jungwoo:** what is it

 **sungchan:** sino yung guy kanina? yung kasama mo? ikaw ha

  
  
  


sungchan's message makes jungwoo choke on his own spit, his whole face heating up right after. kun whips his head to look at the younger with wide eyes, reaching over to jungwoo para tapikin ito sa likod.

  
  


"okay ka lang?" tanong ni kun, habang inuusog palapit kay jungwoo ang kulay green niyang hydroflask. jungwoo grabs the bottle and drinks, nodding at kun. "anong nangyari sayo?"

  
  


"it's nothing." jungwoo answers a few moments later, at hindi na rin nangulit si kun.

  
  


jungwoo types in his reply para sa last message ni sungchan, _'idek him, issue ka'_ , hitting the send button right after and then locking his phone na. he slides it back in his pocket, not bothering to check anymore nang magvibrate ito sa bulsa niya a minute later. he finishes his turon, before telling kun na they should go to class already.

  
  


the two go their separate ways—si kun sa _miguel,_ habang sa _velasco_ naman si jungwoo.

  
  


he arrives in class minutes later, greeting his classmates with a warm smile before settling down on his usual seat at the back. he takes his phone out and finally reads sungchan's reply.

  
  


_'pero type mo?'_

  
  


jungwoo chooses to not reply. sungchan knows him too well, at sigurado siyang alam na nito ang isasagot niya bago niya pa sabihin.

  
  


eventually, nagsimula na rin ang klase ni jungwoo. this is one of his favorite subjects, one of the few classes na matiyagang ina-attendan ng binata (madalas siyang tamarin sa other classes niya) but for some reason, parang wala siya sa mood makinig.

  
  


halfway through the discussion, jungwoo finds himself thinking about _the guy_ sungchan and him were talking about earlier. that UP guy who was nice enough to show him to the main library kanina. the one with jet black hair and pretty doe eyes and a nice smile. jungwoo bites on his bottom lip to stop himself from smiling nang maalala niya ang boses nito.

  
  


if jungwoo's being honest, the guy's exactly his type. and yes… he certainly developed a small crush on that guy—even if he's a complete stranger. jungwoo thinks it's completely harmless naman, so he allows himself yo daydream about the UP guy. he'd probably forget about him tomorrow or the day after that. plus, it's not like they would ever see each other again, anyway.

  
  


at least that's what jungwoo thinks.

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


jungwoo likes to drink and party and play around most of the time. he likes to waste his time by shopping or going to the cinema. most of his thursday and friday nights are spent with his friends sa mga bars and clubs, minsan sa condo. on saturdays, he's either shopping or playing video games at home, and then he'd study in the afternoon and finish his schoolworks and on sundays, his family goes to church and wala naman siyang choice kundi sumama.

  
  


today is different, though.

  
  


it's a saturday morning, and jungwoo's sitting sa passenger seat ng kotse ng best friend niyang si lucas in a white graphic tee and uniqlo shorts. he's not suffering a terrible headache, nor trying to nurse a terrible hangover. finals week na sa lunes, and while jungwoo tends to slack off in _most_ of his classes, he takes examination weeks seriously.

  
  


hindi ito sumama sa inuman last night even if he wanted to. he spent his friday going through his lessons and watching the materials that were given to them by their profs, playing ps4 during breaks. ganun lang din ang gagawin niya mamayang hapon, but for this morning, sa cubao muna ang punta sila ng best friend niya.

  
  


seryosong nagmamaneho si lucas habang si jungwoo naman, vinivideohan siya for his ig story. lucas tries to cover the camera habang sumisigaw ng _no videos please!_ habang naiirita kunwari, which makes jungwoo laugh in the background. "arte mo!" he teases, and this time, si lucas naman ang tumawa.

  
  


people who don't know them would probably think they're dating, but they're not. they like each other a lot, but not in a romantic way. they've been best friends for years, at pareho silang sure na they'd be best friends for life. jungwoo met yukhei wong (he prefers to be called lucas, though) in third grade when the latter was transferred to his class from a different section. they used to play with each other a lot, at lagi sila nagsh-share ng food sa isa't isa kapag lunch. since third grade, magkadikit na talaga ang dalawa. hanggang high school pa nga. 'yun lang, when they went to college, nagkahiwalay na sila. pero wala namang nagbago sa friendship. halos lagi pa rin naman silang magkasama.

  
  


fourth year si lucas sa ateneo, physics major. dalawang taon pa siyang mag-aaral since kakasimula lang ng school year at limang taon ang kurso niya. kahit medyo gago at madalas nasa inuman (like jungwoo), masipag din itong mag-aral—sa sobrang sipag, may balak pa atang mag masters. jungwoo suggested nga before na mag double major na lang siya. kaya niya naman, kaso lang baka raw mawalan na siya ng social life. 'yun ang hindi niya kaya.

  
  


"sayang wala ka last thursday." sabi ng lucas habang nagd-drive. "hendery was looking for you."

  
  


hendery is a sociology major in ateneo, and one of yukhei's closest friends. he's a really funny guy and really friendly too. ilang beses pa lang sila nagkakasama ni jungwoo, pero naging malapit na magkaibigan agad ang dalawa.

  
  


"i know, he texted me." jungwoo says. "kung hindi lang talaga finals, eh. i would've crashed the party."

  
  


"ang daming cute friends ni jaemin, sayang wala ka." lucas teases, and jungwoo rolls his eyes before letting out a laugh.

  
  


"well, i had to study!" the blonde says. "the cute guys and girls can wait."

  
  
  


around 10:15 in the morning nang makarating sina jungwoo at lucas sa cubao expo. ilang beses nang nakainom dito si lucas along with his friends, but this is the first time he's been here nang umaga. the place looks different, but the vibe is still the same.

  
  


jungwoo and lucas climb out of the car, the latter double checking his doors kung naka-lock na ba once they're outside. nagsimulang maglakad si jungwoo, dire-diretso papasok sa isang stores, and lucas had to jog to catch up.

  
  


the guy at the counter greets jungwoo and lucas as soon as they enter, and the two greet back. jungwoo's eyes wander around the room, and within a minute, nasa isang corner na ito at tumitingin ng mga vinyl records. lucas ends up doing the same, flipping through the records sa shelf beside jungwoo.

  
  


"dito ka pala bumibili?" lucas asks, and jungwoo hums in response. he always knew how much jungwoo loves music. palagi itong naghahanap ng mga bagong kanta, nakikinig sa mga bandang never niya pang napakinggan before. two years ago, lucas gave jungwoo a portable turntable as a birthday present because that was what he asked for. until now, yun pa rin ang turntable na gamit ng binata.

  
  


"minsan, i order online. 'yung mga bago." jungwoo says. "but for the classics, i go here."

  
  


jungwoo picks a random one from the shelf, bago niyaya si lucas na umakyat sa taas. the second floor is filled with more LPs and records, as well as vintage turntables, at halos malula na ang dalawa sa dami ng pagpipilian. medyo natetempt din tuloy si lucas bumili ng mga plaka, pero siguro bibili muna siya ng turntable.

  
  


they spend a good thirty minutes sa second floor bago natapos si jungwoo. he was able to score a dean martin record, which made him really happy dahil napapadalas din ang pakikinig niya sa mga kanta nito, sa spotify nga lang.

wala nang ibang mahanap si jungwoo, kaya niyaya niya na si lucas na bumaba para magbayad.

  
  


jungwoo almost trips on the last step though, at buti na lang ay nahawakan ni lucas ang braso niya. lucas asks him if he's okay, at tumango naman si jungwoo kahit parang sasabog na siya. hindi niya alam kung bakit bigla siyang kinabahan, o kung bakit biglang nag-init ang mga pisngi niya. he clutches the records in his chest, eyes on the guy at the counter. not the one who greeted them kanina pag-pasok nila ni yukhei, but a different guy. _a familiar one._

  
  


jungwoo chews on his bottom lip, slowly making his way to the counter. a michael jackson record catches lucas' attention, kaya imbes na sumunod ito kay jungwoo ay pumunta ito sa may shelf. jungwoo stops para sana tawagin si lucas, but decides against it. dumeretso na siya sa counter.

  
  


"good morning." the guy greets him with a smile, at parang gusto ni jungwoo magwala. their eyes finally meet, at kahit saglit lang, pakiramdam ni jungwoo ay tumigil ang puso niya. "i believe we've met before."

  
  


_fuck. holy fuck._ the guy remembers him! parang nag short-circuit na ang utak ni jungwoo, at hindi niya na alam ang sasabihin. he's usually flirty, always oozing with confidence, pero tiklop siya ngayon at hidni niya maintindihan kung bakit.

  
  


nawala na ang ngiti ng binata sa harap ni jungwoo, and the latter watches him scratch the back of his ear habang nag-iiwas ng tingin. "sorry, i thought you were familiar—"

  
  


"no." jungwoo quickly answers, surprising the other. "no, i mean, yes. yes, we've met before."

  
  


jungwoo lets out a nervous laugh. para siyang uminom ng limang baso ng kape sa sobrang bilis ng tibok ng puso niya. he was not ready for this. akala ni jungwoo, hindi na ulit sila magkikita but _jokes on him._ ni wala pang dalawang linggo, nagkrus na naman ang landas nilang dalawa. 

  
  


"may bitbit na index cards at form 5." the guy says, and jungwoo lets out a shy chuckle.

  
  


"yep, that's me." he says with a small smile. "i didn't think we'd see each other again."

  
  


the guy at the counter laughs, bago itinuro ang mga plakang hawak ni jungwoo. the latter lets out an _oh_ bago iniabot ang plaka. "same here." the guy says, punching the items on the register.

  
  


the guy's almost done, ibabalot na ang mga biniling records ni jungwoo, but he doesn't want to leave just yet. no, not yet. _not until he get his name._

  
  


"uhm, can you recommend me a good opm album? " jungwoo blurts out habang inaabot ni UP guy ang mga binili niya. jungwoo wants to punch himself in the face. nahihiya siya sa pinaggagawa niya pero kasi…

  
  


"sure, uh…" the guy trails off, scanning the store. "well. kilala mo ba eraserheads?"

  
  


jungwoo knows eraserheads, but he's not a big fan or anything. magasin at huling el bimbo lang ata ang mga alam niyang kanta from the band. 

  
  


"yeah."

  
  


" _ultraelectromagneticpop_." the guy says. "you can look it up sa spotify or something."

  
  


"okay, i'd do that." jungwoo nods, pero ayaw niya pa ring umalis. "well… uh, may vinyl record ba ng album na 'yun?"

  
  


"they released a limited edition a year ago."

  
  


"oh." the blonde says. "a year ago. limited edition. so malamang wala na—"

  
  


"may isa pa kaming stock." the guy smiles at him. "actually, dinidisplay lang dito noon kasi rare eh. ayaw ibenta ng boss ko since last copy, pero narealize niya na records are meant to be played. limited edition man o hindi. so do you want it? medyo mahal nga lang."

  
  


"yes, please." jungwoo smiles. "and it's okay. i'm willing to pay."

  
  


"i got you." the guy gives him a wink, at halos manlambot ang tuhod ni jungwoo. he disappears in the backroom, but returns a minute later, bitbit na ang record.

  
  


masyado na atang naenjoy ni jungwoo ang pagtitig kay UP guy at hindi niya na namalayan na nasa tabi niya na si yukhei.

  
  


"ang tagal mo." he tells jungwoo. "may dinagdag ka pa?"

  
  


jungwoo just nods, eyes still on the guy in front of him. he successfully punches the item, at inabot naman ni jungwoo ang bayad niya. napataas naman ang kilay ni lucas nang makitang apat na libo ang binayad ni jungwoo, and that's only for the last item.

  
  


the guy at the counter gives him his change and the receipt, pagkatapos ay inabot naman kay jungwoo ang eheads vinyl na ngayon ay nasa brown paper bag na.

  
  


"thank you, first customer. have a great weekend."

  
  


"thank you rin…?"

  
  


"doyoung." the guy says with a small smile.

  
  


" _doyoung._ " jungwoo repeats the name, and he feels a subtle flutter sa dibdib niya. "thank you, doyoung."

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi i'm @wydoie on twitter, let's be friends!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> jaehyun finds himself walking straight to the bar to order a stronger drink because god, he needs it. he really does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this chapter took so long!!!
> 
> thank you for 167 hits and 18 kudos!!! it means a lot to me :) hehehe i hope everyone's enjoying so far kahit third chapter pa lang aaaaaaa ily all mwa!!!

"alam kong gising ka, doyoung. bumangon ka dyan."

  
  


hindi gumalaw si doyoung sa ilalim ng kumot niya. his eyes remained closed, and he tried his best to not make a move. pero kahit na hindi pa huminga si doyoung under his blanket, taeil's a hundred and one percent sure that the younger is wide awake.

  
  


"doyoung." tawag ulit ni taeil sa kanya. "bumangon ka na dyan sabi. alam kong gising ka."

  
  


this time, hindi na napigilan ni doyoung gumawa ng ingay. paano ba naman kasi, taeil threw a bottle of a half-drank coke at him at saktong tumama pa ito sa ulo niya (at masakit!!!). in the end, wala nang nagawa si doyoung kundi hilahin ang kumot pababa at ipakita ang mukha niya sa kaibigan.

  
  


"ano bang kailangan mo?" masungit na tanong ni doyoung kay taeil. the older just rolls his eyes before sitting down at the foot of doyoung's bed. taeil slaps doyoung's ass, which earns him a light kick sa tagiliran niya from the younger. imbes na mainis though ay tumawa lang si taeil.

  
  


"bumangon ka na dyan, sasama ka samin ngayong gabi—"

  
  


"no." mabilis na sagot ni doyoung bago nagtalukbong ulit ng kumot. "kayo na lang. kaya niyo na 'yan. malaki na kayo. ayoko mag third wheel."

  
  


"hindi ka naman mag t-third wheel, eh! gusto kang makita nina winwin at yuta!!! ang tagal ka na naming hindi nakakasama. hindi mo ba kami namimiss?"

  
  


doyoung knows na nakanguso si taeil ngayon kahit hindi niya ito nakikita, and he wants to smack the older's head for it. alam ni taeil na hindi matitiis ni doyoung ang pagpapacute niya, and doyoung would be lying kung sasabihin niya na taeil's charms isn't working because it is.  _ hay nako taeil, kahit kailan talaga, _ doyoung thinks to himself before lowering down the blanket once again. sumilip ito kay taeil na ngayon ay nakatingin sa kanya.

  
  


napabuntong hininga si doyoung. aside from his group of friends sa UP, may mga close friends din ang binata sa labas ng campus. maliban kay taeyong, there's also taeil (taeyong's boyfriend for three years), sicheng, and yuta. they are taeyong and taeil's friends originally, pero dahil sa palagiang pagt-thirdwheel ni doyoung kay taeyong at taeil, naging malapit na rin siya sa mga kaibigan nito, especially kay sicheng. they met each other three years ago, and they’ve been almost inseparable since.

  
  


alam naman ni doyoung na miss na siya ng mga kaibigan, and of course, he misses them too. back then, aside sa mga biglaang lakad at lunch-outs, they would always get together every last friday of the month, kahit gaano pa sila ka-busy. when all of them are free, umiinom sila sa labas or sa condo unit ni yuta. kapag naman busy or may upcoming exams, they'd gather at yuta's condo or sa bahay nila sicheng to finish their requirements or study.

  
  


it's been months since the last time na nakasama ni doyoung sina sicheng. february pa ata ang huli, nung nag-inuman sila sa condo ni yuta. that was the night he poured his heart out. 'yun ang unang beses na ikinwento niya nang buo sa mga kaibigan kung anong nangyari sa kanila ni sejeong since their break up november last year. after that though, naging distant na uli si doyoung.

  
  


laging siyang niyayaya nila yuta noon na sumama sa inuman, o di kaya sa movie nights, pero laging pass ang binata. he wanted to join them, pero ayaw niya lang kasing maging party pooper. alam naman ni doyoung na hindi pa siya okay at natatakot siya na baka masira niya ang mood kung sakaling sasama siya, kaya lagi nalang siyang nagdadahilan na he's busy. na babawi na lang siya sa susunod.

  
  


naiintindihan naman nila yuta. medyo nakakatampo nga lang pero naiintindihan naman nila. parang nagunaw ang mundo ni doyoung after the break-up, and as much as they wanted to cheer doyoung up and be physically there for him all the time, alam nilang kailangan din ng binata ng oras mag-isa. oras para sa sarili niya.

  
  


"miss ko rin naman kayo, syempre." doyoung finally responds, at automatic naman ang ngiti ni taeil na agad ding nawala nang dagdagan ni doyoung ang sagot niya ng  _ 'maliban sayo. lagi ka namang nandito. _

  
  


doyoung lets out a laugh, a genuine laugh, and taeil eventually joins in. medyo nakahinga na nang maluwag si taeil. unti-unti nang bumabalik ang dating doyoung, and taeil couldn't be any happier.

  
  


"oh, sasama ka na ha?"

  
  


"oo na nga." doyoung says, pushing himself off of the bed.

  
  


sakto naman ang paglabas ni taeyong mula sa banyo, kakatapos lang maligo. sinundan niya ng tingin si doyoung na ngayon ay kumukuha na ng damit from his cabinet, may nakasabit na tuwalya sa balikat. taeyong turns to taeil na ngayon ay malawak ang ngiti.

  
  


"sasama na si doie?" gulat na tanong ni taeyong. hindi niya talaga ineexpect na mapapapayag ni taeil si doyoung na sumama sa ganap nila ngayong gabi.

  
  


"galing ko no?" taeil winks at him. taeyong couldn't help but smile.

  
  


"at dahil dyan, may kiss ka sakin."

  
  


doyoung makes a gagging sound. taeil and taeyong share a laugh.

  
  
  
  
  
  


akala ni doyoung, somewhere in katip or manila lang sila iinom kasi when he asked taeyong earlier kung saan sila tonight, ang sagot ng binata sa kanya ay  _ 'dyan lang' _ . hindi naman inexpect ni doyoung na ang  _ dyan lang  _ ni taeyong ay sa taguig pala. nagulat na lang si doyoung, nasa bgc na sila. at syempre, kung sa bgc sila iinom, malamang ang taya ngayong gabi ay ang kanilang lasallian friend na si yuta—na ngayon ay kakatapos lang yakapin nang mahigpit si doyoung.

  
  


"gago ka, buti naman you decided to show up this time? i thought i'd never see you again." sabi ni yuta kay doyoung habang papasok sila sa pizza express para kumain. dinner muna bago lumaklak ng alak.

  
  


"gago ka rin." natatawang sagot naman ni doyoung. "alam mo namang di ko kayo matitiis."

  
  


"anong hindi! natiis mo nga kaming hindi makita for… seven months? grabe ka." nakangusong sabi ni yuta before settling down on one of the seats sa napiling table ni taeil. doyoung takes the seat beside him.

doyoung's in the middle of apologizing and explaining kay yuta when sicheng finally shows up (in his usual uniqlo short sleeve shirt and shorts), his brown and singkit eyes growing wide nang ma-realize niyang si doyoung ang nakaupo sa tabi ni yuta ngayon.

  
  


"oh my god." sicheng breathes out, and yuta mutters a not-so-quiet na  _ 'same' _ . "doyoung?! huy!!"

  
  


doyoung flashes sicheng a smile, and before he knew it, he's being wrapped around the arms of the younger. medyo nakakagulat nga dahil alam naman ng lahat na hindi affectionate na tao si sicheng, and if the latter is hugging him like this right now, it only means na sobrang namiss niya si doyoung.

  
  


"huy, hindi ko ineexpect na sasama ka!" sicheng says, finally pulling away from doyoung after almost a minute. naupo siya sa last vacant seat sa table. "ang tagal mong nawala."

  
  


nagsimulang mag-sorry si doyoung sa mga kaibigan niya. hindi niya naman talaga kasi intensyon na i- _ ghost _ sila. sadyang hindi lang talaga siya okay. at naiintindihan naman ito ng mga kaibigan niya. they just missed him so much, and right now, they're very happy na nagkasama-sama ulit silang lima.

  
  
  


napuno ng tawanan at kwentuhan ang table nila habang kumakain. sobrang gaan lang sa pakiramdam na finally, nagkaroon din sila ng time para mag catch up sa buhay ng bawa't isa. they still talked every now and then sa group chat nila, pero iba pa rin kasi 'yung naikkwento mo ang mga bagay-bagay in person.

  
  


"pero ang bilis talaga lumipas ng mga araw 'no? i can't believe september's ending already." sicheng says before taking another slice of pizza.

  
  


"i kinda don't want september to end yet." sabi ni yuta after taking a sip of his iced tea. "start of classes na ng october, and ayoko nang mag-aral."

  
  


yuta is an accountancy student in dlsu. normally, three years and one term lang naman ang accountancy sa university nila. umaabot ng five years kapag double degree. as for yuta though, aabot siya ng limang taon kasi may mga bagsak na naman siyang subjects last year. hirap talaga kapag hindi mo gusto ang kursong inaaral mo.

  
  


"you'll be fine. onting tiis na lang." taeyong gives him an encouraging smile.

  
  


"oo nga." dagdag ni taeil. "di bale nang delayed, basta gagraduate."

  
  


everyone in the table knows that taeil's statement isn't just for yuta, it's for doyoung as well. and the latter's really thankful kasi kailangan niya ring marinig ang mga salitang 'yun minsan. he needs to be reminded na it's okay if he doesn't graduate on time. na it's okay to take his time.

  
  


medyo sumeryoso ang atmosphere though, not that it's a bad thing. buti na lang, alam ni yuta ang gagawin sa ganitong mga pagkakataon.

  
  


"wait, ngayon ko lang narealize," yuta says bago tumingin kay taeil at taeyong. "it's been four years since you guys met!"

  
  


the mood instantly shifts, at malawak na naman ang ngiti ng magkakaibigan. "oh my god, oo nga, ngayon ko lang narealize?!" taeil says, a bit surprised.

  
  


"i don't think i'll ever forget about that day." sicheng smiles, shaking his head. "that was september 2016. UP vs UST game non sa araneta and i went with taeyong."

  
  


like taeyong, sicheng (or winwin to his closest friends and family) is also a thomasian. fourth year med tech student 'yan si winwin, and was a former member of salinggawi (dun sila nagkakilala ni taeyong). he had to widthraw on his second year though kasi medyo nahirapan siyang ibalance ang acads, non-acads, at mga responsibilities niya sa bahay. yuta and him have been best friends for years. they went to the same high school, and kahit na magkaiba sila ng university na pinasukan for college, they still remained best friends.

  
  


"tapos nagpaalam siya sakin na magc-cr lang siya so sabi ko okay. i waited for him. putek, mag t-twenty minutes na hindi pa bumabalik? tapos pagbalik ni loko, may kasama nang naka-maroon?!?!" taon-taon ata itong kinekwento ni sicheng, pero hanggang ngayon ay aliw na aliw pa rin sina doyoung tuwing naririnig nila ang kwento tungkol sa first meeting nina taeyong at taeil. 

  
  


"well, masisisi niyo ba ko?" taeyong says with a small smile. "he was adorable, i knew i had to strike up a conversation or something."

  
  


doyoung rolls his eyes playfully and yuta makes a gagging sound. taeil kicks yuta's foot sa ilalim ng mesa, making the latter yelp. once again, napuno na naman ng tawanan sa table nila. doyoung watches his friends' bickering with a big grin of his face.

  
  


naisip niya, maybe he doesn't have to be in a relationship to be happy. maybe his friends are enough.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


hindi sigurado si jungwoo kung gaano karaming bote na ng beer at naubos niya, kung nakailang shots na siya, at kung ilang yosi na ang nasindihan niya pero sigurado siyang  _ marami  _ na. kanina niya pa ramdam ang pagkahilo, and he's sure na may tama na siya. actually, it would be more surprising nga kung hindi pa siya lasing at this point. pangatlong club na nila 'to, and while he only had a few drinks sa  _ bad,  _ nakarami siya ng inom sa  _ xylo— _ to lucas and his friend johnny, who isn't just a diplomacy and international relations student in ateneo, but also majors in inuman, kalokohan, at kadaldalan.

  
  


hindi na alam ni jungwoo kung anong oras na, basta ang alam niya, it was a few minutes after 1am when they left  _ bad  _ to go to the next club. it's been more or less thirty minutes since.

  
  


_ revel  _ is packed as usual, pero hindi naman na sila nahirapan maghanap ng table when they arrived kasi jaehyun already secured a table for them (dahil kanina pa siya andun with his other friends who lumipat na rin naman sa ibang bar pagdating nila jungwoo).

  
  


jaehyun jung is another close friend of lucas—yes, mr. congeniality talaga itong si yukhei, pwede na rin siyang tumakbong senador—and is johnny's best friend. at first glance, you'd think he's the typical gwapo guy from one of the big 4 universities na wala nang ginawa kundi magwalwal at mangchix, but he's actually the opposite—at least sa walwal part. he's taking up legal management in ateneo, tapos nagbabalak mag law after (his parents are both lawyers, soooo). he's usually quiet, pero he could get really talkative lalo na kapag naging close kayo. matalino at very masipag din magaral, but johnny works harder—lagi niyang binibitbit itong si jaehyun sa mga bars at clubs kasi bakit hindi? minsan, tumatanggi ang binata, pero most times ay nagpapademonyo na lang din siya sa best friend.

  
  


the thing about jaehyun though is he  _ kind of  _ likes to play around. he's not one to commit and go for serious, long-term relationships. in his defense, masyado pa raw kasi siyang bata at gusto niya na munang mag-enjoy. once he enters law school, alam niyang hindi niya kakayanin pag-sabayin ang pag-aaral at pag-aalaga ng girlfriend. kaya magseseryoso na lang daw siya pag tapos na siyang mag-aral. johnny thinks it's bullshit.

  
  


jaehyun and jungwoo have become pretty close na rin since the latter would always get invited nga by yukhei sa mga gala at inuman nila. the first few times, laging inaasar ni johnny ang dalawa sa isa't isa because he really thought they'd look good together, but the two would just shrug it off kasi 1) jungwoo doesn't want to get involved with any of yukhei's friends, romantically or sexually, and 2) jaehyun finds jungwoo handsome and hot, he's really nice and funny, but jaehyun's just not into guys.

  
  


_ ata.  _

  
  
  


jaehyun's a bit out of it already (medyo bumaba ang alcohol tolerance niya after two whole months of saying  _ no  _ to alak), malayo na ang isip. wala na rin siyang naiintindihan sa usapan ng mga kaibigan niya. nabalik lang si jaehyun sa katinuan nang biglang tumayo si jungwoo at naglakad papunta sa bar. he looked down at their table to check if they already ran out of booze, pero meron pa naman.

  
  


"i think he'd go for the guy in red." johnny says beside him. kumunot naman ang noo ni jaehyun.

  
  


"nah," si lucas naman ang nagsalita this time. "i think, 'yung naka white."

  
  


"'yung naka red talaga, feeling ko."

  
  


"he's my best friend. trust me. yung naka puti lalapitan nyan." lucas chuckles, bago ininom ang laman ng baso niya.

  
  


"wait, what's happening?" jaehyun asks, confused. johnny laughs.

  
  


"see, cas? i told you, he wasn't listening." johnny tells yukhei before turning to jaehyun, handing him a bottle of beer. "jungwoo and i made a bet. if woo gets a guy to buy him a really expensive drink, ako ang taya tonight. but if he doesn't, he's paying."

  
  


"i can't believe you just set yourself up like that." jaehyun tells johnny, amused. "jungwoo can get any guy he wants, and those guys would probably love to buy him any drink he'd like."

  
  


"see, johnny? i told you, talo ka tonight." lucas chirps in with a huge grin on his face. johnny flips him off which makes jaehyun laugh.

  
  
  


jungwoo's already at the bar right now, kausap 'yung lalaking nakaputi (lucas was right). and judging by the way the guy is looking at jungwoo right now, jaehyun is more than sure he would give him anything jungwoo asks for. woo looked really perfect in that navy blue short-sleeve shirt he's wearing, the first two buttons undone exposing a bit of his chest, and black skin-tight jeans which accentuated his long legs and perfect thighs. too perfect that jaehyun finds himself staring at the other with his mouth slightly agape.

  
  


a knowing smirk appears on johnny's lips when he notices jaehyun from his peripheral vision.

  
  


"baka matunaw, ha." the taller teases, and jaehyun instantly tears his gaze away from jungwoo.

  
  


"shut up,  _ john _ ."

  
  


jaehyun takes a large swig from his beer bottle, trying to look for something else to pay attention to pero sa huli, kay jungwoo pa rin ang bagsak ng mga mata niya. he watches as the younger rake his fingers through his blonde locks, flashing the guy in a white a sweet smile before leaning closer, whispering something in his hear.

  
  


lumingon si jungwoo sa table nila right after, flashing them them a knowing smirk—alam niyang panalo na siya sa pustahan nila ni johnny—before bringing his attention back to the guy in front of him. dahan-dahang inilapit ni jungwoo ang mukha niya sa lalaki, and suddenly, jaehyun finds it hard to breathe. this won't be the first time na makikita niya si woo na ganito, pero ito ang unang beses na hindi naging maganda ang pakiramdam niya. hindi niya maintindihan. he doesn't have any idea why he's feeling this way, and honestly? ayaw niya na rin malaman.

  
  


jaehyun fishes his phone out of his pocket para icheck kung may important messages ba siya. kanina pa kasi nag v-vibrate ang phone niya sa bulsa ng pantalon pero iniignore niya lang.  _ actually, no.  _ this is all just a lame excuse dahil ayaw niya nang tignan si jungwoo. ayaw niyang makita kung ano man ang ginagawa ng binata ngayon. isang malalim na buntong-hininga ang pinakawalan ni jaehyun before ablsentmindedly scrolling through his notification panel.

  
  
  


"wait, what the fuck?"

  
  


jaehyun hurriedly lifts his gaze nang bigla na lang magsalita si lucas, and his eyes immediately travel across the room para tignan kung ano nang nangyari kay jungwoo sa may bar but he's not there anymore.

  
  


"woah. anong nangyayari?" medyo confused na tanong ni johnny, pero rinig pa rin ang amusement sa boses nito.

  
  


jaehyun finally spots jungwoo, thanks to his blonde hair, naglalakad na pabalik sa table nila. he's empty handed, pabalik-balik ang tingin sa may stairs, his bottom lip caught in between his teeth. sa sobrang wala sa sarili ni jungwoo, makakalagpas pa sana siya sa table nila kung hindi lang siya tinawag ni lucas.

  
  


"why didn't you kiss him?" nagtatanong ni lucas sa best friend niya na ngayon ay parang may hinahanap sa crowd. "huy. earth to jungwoo?"

  
  


"a-ah," jungwoo finally turns to yukhei, flashing him an awkward smile. "sorry. what did you say?"

  
  


"bakit hindi mo hinalikan? pogi naman ah." sabi ni lucas bago tinignan ulit si kuyang naka puti na ngayon ay may iba nang kausap. "bad breath ba?"

  
  


this makes johnny laugh, tapos sinabayan na rin ni lucas. para talagang ewan 'tong mga 'to kapag magkasama.

  
  


"no." jungwoo responds before taking a shot. the liquor burns his throat and he makes a face.  _ tangina.  _ "i just… didn't want to."

  
  


"you know that means you're paying for our drinks tonight, right?" johnny asks, at mabilis naman ang pagtango ni jungwoo.

  
  


"don't worry, i got you, guys."

  
  


natuwa naman si johnny kasi syempre, makakaligtas siya sa gastos, but both jaehyun and lucas are not convinced with jungwoo's answer kanina.

  
  


"alam mo, we've been best friends for years but this is the first time na nakita kitang tumanggi sa ganyan." sabi ni lucas. "are you sure everything's alright? if that guy did something na hindi mo nagustuhan, i swear magkakagulo rito—"

  
  


"that's not it, cas. i promise." sabi ni jungwoo. "i just…"

  
  


_ just…? _ tanong ni jaehyun sa isip niya. bigla siyang kinabahan sa magiging sagot niya alam kung bakit.  _ nakakagago talaga 'tong gabing 'to.  _ biglang hindi na maintindihan ni jaehyun kung anong nararamdaman niya and it's bothering him already.

  
  


jungwoo sighs bago nginitian ang mga kaibigan niya. nagulat sila dahil bigla itong tumayo from his spot.

  
  


"i'll be back in a minute." jungwoo says bago nagmamadaling umalis, leaving his three friends confused.

  
  


"what the fuck?" lucas curses. "tinatakasan ba ni woo bayarin niya?"

  
  


"god, i hope not." johnny chuckles.

  
  


sinundan ni jaehyun ng tingin si jungwoo. he wants to follow him outside, pero pinigilan niya ang sarili. bakit niya naman susundan ang kaibigan? ano namang sasabihin niya? paano kung gusto niya palang mapag-isa? what if he's expecting jaehyun to follow him so they could—god,  _ no _ . why would he even want him there?

  
  


gustong suntukin ni jaehyun ang sarili niya dahil sa mga naiisip niya. the confusion and the overwhelming emotions are starting to frustrate him, at hindi niya na namalayan na masyado nang mahigpit ang hawak niya sa bote ng beer.

  
  


"baka mabasag." johnny says before snatching the beer bottle out of jaehyun's hand. "nakakahalata na ako sayo ha."

  
  


jaehyun just rolls his eyes, hindi na lang pinansin ang comment ng best friend niya. eventually, tinigilan din siya ni johnny at nagpaka-busy na lang ito sa pakikipagkwentuhan with yukhei. jaehyun kept himself occupied na lang din with twitter, kahit wala naman na siyang maintindihan sa tweets dahil nahihilo na siya (at nasa ibang planeta rin ata ang utak niya). kailangan niya lang talaga ng distraction.

  
  
  


"gago, baka nakatulog na si woo sa labas ah!" johnny says before taking his phone out of his pocket, para siguro tawagan ang kaibigan nila at icheck kung okay pa siya.

  
  


it's been thirty minutes already, pero hindi pa rin bumabalik si jungwoo sa loob. gusto na siyang sundan ni jaehyun sa labas, just to check, pero hindi niya alam kung dapat niya bang gawin 'yun. okay lang naman siguro si jungwoo sa labas? baka nagpapahangin lang.

  
  


"hindi sumasagot." 

  
  


_ fuck it. _

  
  


jaehyun pushes himself up from his seat para sundan na sana si jungwoo sa labas, pero bago pa man siya makaalis sa table, he spots jungwoo. malawak ang ngiti nito, unlike kanina nung pagbalik ng binata sa table nila.

  
  


"he's back." giit ni jaehyun. "and he's not alone."

  
  


napaupo na lang ulit si jaehyun nang makalapit si jungwoo sa table nila. hindi pa rin nawawala ang ngiti sa labi nito. johnny gives jungwoo a knowing look, at napataas naman ang kilay ni lucas.

  
  


"hmm.woo, is  _ this guy  _ the reason why you didn't ki—" johnny gets cut off by jungwoo who sends him a death glare.

  
  


"guys, uh…" pagsisimula ni jungwoo na halos sumigaw na dahil sa sobrang lakas ng tugtog. "this is  _ doyoung _ ! doyoung, these are my friends. that one is jaehyun, and then si johnny, and si lucas, best friend ko."

  
  


ngumiti ang kasama ni jungwoo before greeting the three guys. tumayo agad si johnny para makipag-kamay (and to tell doyoung that he has a nice smile), ganun din si lucas who even called him the  _ cubao expo guy  _ (jungwoo's a bit surprised na natatandaan pa ni lucas ang itsura ni doyoung), and jaehyun… well, nakipagkamay rin si jaehyun pero tipid ang ngiti nito.

  
  


tumambay pa si doyoung saglit sa table nila at nakipagkwentuhan, mostly kay johnny dahil likas ang pagiging madaldal at friendly nito, pero maya-maya rin ay nagpaalam na ang binata na babalik sa table nila since his friends are waiting for him already.

  
  


jaehyun's eyes are on jungwoo who's watching doyoung's back as he walked back to their table not far from their spot. hindi nakaligtas kay jaehyun ang maliit na ngiti sa labi ni jungwoo bago nito ibinalik ang atensyon sa mga kaibigan.

  
  


"so, you have a crush on that guy?" johnny says, which is more of a statement than a question.

  
  


the three of them know that the big grin on jungwoo's face right now is already a confirmation.

  
  


"a serious crush?" tanong ni johnny. jungwoo takes his bottom lip in between his teeth once again, nodding.

  
  


"well… yeah." 

  
  


"gago, you didn't kiss the guy from earlier and chose to pay for our drinks tonight for this doyoung guy, and you know what? gets." natatawang sabi ni johnny. "if i were in your position, i'd choose him too."

  
  


masyado nang maingay sa table nila dahil nagsimula nang magkwento si jungwoo tungkol kay doyoung. hindi interesado si jaehyun. well,  _ he is _ , but he's not in the mood to hear it now. maybe next time. kapag na-settle niya na 'tong nakaka- _ putang  _ feelings niya. kapag balik na ulit ang lahat sa normal.

  
  


jaehyun excuses himself. lalabas sana siya para magpahangin, but jaehyun finds himself walking straight to the bar to order a stronger drink because god, he needs it.  _ he really does. _

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... and we finally meet atenean jaehyun ;)


End file.
